Big Top Titans
by Sky the white dragon
Summary: When the circus come to town, the titans notice that Robin continually disappears. As the look for him, they meet a young circus performer who seems unusually familiar. But will a trip to the circus turn into an investigation into an eight-year old murder? Originally Zucco
1. Pachyderm Panic

**I would just like to thank GuardianSoulBlade for allowing me to continue this story with such potential. Please bare in mind that I'm a different author and have edited the first chapter.**

* * *

"Hey guys! Guys! I found something cool we could go see later!" Beast Boy shouted.

"What'd you find B.B.?" Cyborg asked. He walked in from shining the T Car.

"Cy, you won't believe it, Haley Circus is coming here!" He waved the newspaper around, shoving it in Cyborg's face.

"Isn't that the big one from Gotham City?" Cyborg asked. "I thought they just stayed around there."

"No, Dude, they travel around a lot. But they've never been here before," Beast Boy said. "Besides, we need a break, we've been working our butts off lately and we should let off some steam."

"What is this Haley Circus you speak of?" Starfire asked.

"A circus is a place where people go to have fun, see strange sights and be entertained by animals, acrobats and clowns," Robin said, walking into the room, carrying breakfast. "Now what's all this about a circus, huh?"

"Dude, Haley Circus is coming here!" Beast Boy said excitedly. "I've never gotten to go to this one and I've heard it's the best one around."

"You've never been to a circus Beast Boy?" Robin asked.

"I've been to the circus, but not Haley's," Beast Boy said. "Why so interested?"

"Because…I was just curious, that's all," Robin said. His true reasons for asking however were much more than mere curiosity. He had connections to Haley Circus, very personal connections.

"When are they going to be here?" Robin asked.

"Tomorrow," Beast Boy replied. "Let's just hope the criminals will leave us alone so we can enjoy ourselves."

"Good, we'll leave as soon as possible tomorrow, so you all can look around," Robin said in a normal voice, but inside, he was a mixture of joy, grief, hatred and sorrow. Haley Circus had been his home 'til he was seven years old, now he would go back, now he would remember what had taken place there eight long years ago.

He sat down and ate breakfast without another word. Raven walked into the room and looked at the newspaper. "Haley Circus, hmm?" she frowned a little, "I thought they didn't come to small cities like this one."

"There coming tomorrow, I thought you didn't like the circus Raven," Cyborg said.

"The only reason I've heard of Haley Circus is because of the Flying Graysons murder case." Raven frowned when she saw Robin suddenly choke on his eggs and bacon.

"The Flying Graysons?" Starfire asked. "Who were these Flying Graysons?"

"They were an acrobatic troupe who were murdered eight years ago. I forgot who did it but they never found him. I heard their son got adopted, by Bruce Wayne I think, but I'm not sure."

"That is so sad, I wonder what happened to the boy, the one who was adopted by Bruce Wayne," Starfire said quietly.

"Well, I guess we'll never know will we?" Beast Boy said. "It's too bad they never caught who did it."

"One day they might," Raven said. "You never know."

"Robin, you are not hungry? You do not seek nourishment?" Starfire asked. She noticed that Robin had stopped eating.

"I'm fine, Star, I'm just not hungry," Robin replied. The discussion about the Flying Graysons' murder made him lose his appetite, not because he wasn't hungry. It was because it made him angry. He knew exactly who had done it and he knew why.

Robin, Richard Johnathan "Dick" Grayson was a material witness to the murder of the Flying Graysons. They were his parents, and for eight long years, Tony Zucco remained free; eight years that his parents remained unavenged. He secretly hoped that if he could go back to Haley Circus, he could find out what had happened to Zucco.

He got up and went straight to his room. On the walls were pictures and news articles about Slade. His room was literally plastered with anything about Slade. But that wasn't the only thing he was obsessed with. There was only one, only one person Robin held more hatred for than the criminal mastermind psychopath, and that was Tony Zucco.

He was an extortionist, a wannabe mobster who made a living selling "accident insurance" to businesses. He had threatened Mr. Haley, the owner of the circus when he refused to buy his insurance policy. The result had been that the Flying Graysons, his parents, John and Mary Grayson; had been brutally murdered in the most horrifying way: they had plunged to their deaths while performing their flying trapeze act.

He bent down to beneath the desk where he kept all his items on Slade and removed a floorboard. Hidden inside was a box, he pulled it out and opened it. Within the small box were articles, clippings, anything and everything that he had on Tony Zucco. It was even larger than his news articles on Slade, for there was far more information on Zucco. Everything he did, supposed sightings of the murderer. This was his first great obsession that he had had.

This was why he was Robin and this was why he would go back home to Haley Circus, to avenge his parents and give them the justice they deserved. He sighed, beneath the box, sealed in a plastic bag was a bright red and white uniform that no longer fit. It was his circus outfit, when he was one of the Flying Graysons in what seemed like another lifetime.

He felt the fabric in his hand, remembering the days when he had constantly donned the uniform, entertaining the masses with aerial acrobatics that he had learned from his parents. He remembered the adrenaline rush and the joy of almost being able to fly, the feeling he got when he was up on the trapeze bar, the joy of being with his parents. The Flying Graysons act had always been a family affair, even their training was a "family secret" which they refused to tell anyone.

Robin smiled, but it wasn't a happy smile at all, it was one of hidden grief and stored up sadness. Perhaps returning to the place he had called home for nine years would brighten his spirits. A visit to Haley's would cheer him up; perhaps he would see some old friends.

He had had many friends at the circus, and he was well loved by everyone. A woman had once said of him, "That Dick Grayson's a real boy wonder." Little did she know that was true, for that was what he had been in Gotham City: Robin, the Boy Wonder, Batman's sidekick.

He smiled at the thought of seeing old friends, perhaps if he got the chance; maybe he'd see Pop Haley, the owner and ringmaster of the circus again.

Suddenly, an alarm began blaring. Robin snapped out of his reverie and ran into the living room. "What's the trouble?" he asked.

Beast Boy looked at him, "The strangest trouble call we've ever gotten. I guess Haley Circus arrived a day early to set up and one of their elephants got loose."

"That is the weirdest call we've ever gotten," Robin muttered. "Where is it?"

"Downtown, and its acting kinda weird," Beast Boy said, "People say it trumpets and runs around in crazy circles."

"Well, Titans, Go!" he ordered and they ran out of the Tower.

"I can't believe we're asked to catch an elephant!" Cyborg asked. "We have no experience with circus animals!"

_That's what you think, Cyborg,_Robin thought. He on the other hand, did have plenty of experience with circus animals. They drove to downtown, where an elephant ran crazily about in the streets, trumpeting loudly and smashing random things in the street. People ran away, trying to avoid it.

Suddenly, Cyborg's alarm on his arm rang. "It's Mumbo; he's been spotted at the bank. What should we do?"

"You guys go after Mumbo, I'll handle the elephant," Robin ordered.

"Dude, you can handle a giant elephant?" Beast Boy asked. "If there was anyone who could handle an elephant, it should be me."

"Please, go, Mumbo's more of a threat than this elephant, I'll join you as soon as I can!" Robin began to run towards one of the stores.

"Where are you going?" Raven shouted.

"To buy some peanuts!" Robin shouted back.

"Peanuts?" Starfire asked. "Why should Robin go to the store of groceries to buy these peanuts?"

"I have no idea Star, but you heard the man, we've got to stop Mumbo!" Cyborg said. The rest of the Titans flew off to find Mumbo.

Meanwhile, Robin burst into the nearest grocery store and grabbed two large bags of peanuts. "Here's the money. I need these, fast!"

"Thanks Robin, come back anytime!" the man shouted as he ran out.

The elephant was running through the street as Robin stepped out in front of him, the elephant was frightened by him and began running faster. Robin leapt up and landed on top of the enormous creature, using grapple hook to try and stop the animal. He shot it out so it shot around the animal's mouth, forming a makeshift bridle.

"Easy, big guy, easy! You just need to calm down a bit, boy. That's it, good boy!" he encouraged soothingly as the elephant began to slow down. Its loud trumpeting became quieter as it realized that whoever was on top of him was able to control him. The large mammal finally came to a halt.

"Good boy, that's it. Just relax now, you're okay," Robin said quietly as he dismounted. He kept a hold of his makeshift bridle and pulled out the bag of peanuts. "You probably like these, huh?" he asked as he let the elephant have some peanuts.

Suddenly, without warning, the trunk reached down and yanked the mask off his eyes. "Hey! Stop that, you! Give me that back!" Robin said as the elephant continued to tease him. He hoped that all the people had gone away, but to his dread, a crowd was beginning to gather around the large mammal.

It suddenly hit him like a load of bricks that there was only one elephant from Haley Circus who would pull such pranks on him. "Sitka?" he asked. The elephant seemed to stop as its large ears seemed to perk. "Sitka, be a good boy and give me that back. You remember me right?" The elephant who Robin had called "Sitka" became all at once very happy, its fears of its strange surroundings forgotten. It wrapped its trunk around Robin's torso, picking him up. His mask slipped from the animal's grasp and he grabbed it and placed it on his face before the crowd could catch a glimpse of his eyes. The crowd laughed.

"Hey now, we don't have time for this boy. I've got to get you back to Mr. Haley," he laughed as his long lost friend put him down. He leapt onto the elephant's back. The crowd cheered. "Come on, boy, we gotta go!" He began leading the elephant towards the bank. He might come in handy for stopping Mumbo.

"Do you think Robin can stop that elephant?" Beast Boy asked. "I mean, it was really going crazy."

"If Robin says he can handle it; then he can handle it," Cyborg said, "Besides, we have to worry about Mumbo." Cyborg said, looking ahead. "There he is!" The Amazing Mumbo was at the bank using his magic tricks to steal all the cash.

"Yo Mumbo!" Cyborg shouted. "Don't you know the show's long past over?"

"Oh, but the show's just beginning Titans. Watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat!" Mumbo removed his hat, turning it towards them.

"Oh no, not the hat!" Beast Boy groaned. Morphing into an eagle he tried to dodge the swarm of rabbits that flew from Mumbo's hat.

"Not this time, Mumbo. Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" Raven shouted. She used her powers to block the swarm of rabbits that streamed endlessly from his hat. Starfire used her Starbolts, blasting them at him. He managed to jump out of the way.

Cyborg aimed a blast at Mumbo as he tried to attack him quickly. Mumbo suddenly pulled a huge colorful rope from inside his sleeve and lassoed him with it. Pulling the rope tightly, he stopped Cyborg's attack dead in his tracks.

Beast Boy transformed into a bull and charged him. "Sorry kid," Mumbo chuckled. "But you can't catch me this time!" Beast Boy was caught in the folds of the magician's bright red cloak and smashed into a wall. With a groan, he hit the ground.

"For this next trick, I'll require a lovely assistant," he said. He used his long cane to grab Starfire out of the air and placed her into a long box. "It's only fair to warn you, I have no idea what I'm doing."

"Not that trick again!" Raven growled. She used her powers to smash the box into pieces, freeing Starfire from her situation. She whirled around and beamed him with lasers from her eyes.

"Robin where are you?" Cyborg growled into the communicator on his arm as best as he could.

"Right here," Robin said as he leapt seemingly from out of nowhere. "Sorry Mumbo, but your performance has been canceled." Robin unsheathed his retractable Bo Staff.

"Abracadabra!" Mumbo shouted as Robin's staff transformed into a poisonous snake. Robin was not surprised however, and threw it straight at Mumbo, who on the other hand, was very surprised. "AAAHAAAHAA!" he shouted as he danced out of the way.

Robin launched himself straight at Mumbo, he knew there were two ways of disarming the magician, taking away his wand or taking away his hat. He was relieved that the other Titans hadn't been sucked into his hat like the last time they had encountered him.

He attempted to grab the wand but it was always out of arm's reach. He managed to grasp it only for a few seconds before Mumbo grabbed it way. "So sorry, Boy Wonder, but today, the audience loves the Amazing Mumbo. Ta, ta!" he said gleefully, preparing to make his escape. He was suddenly knocked off his feet by Starbolts and flew down the street.

The Titans gaped as Mumbo collided with something very large. It was the elephant they had seen rampaging through the streets earlier that day. It was contentedly munching on two large bags of peanuts. Disturbed from its eating, the large mammal turned its head to look at the source. It suddenly spit some peanuts out of its mouth, sending well aimed smashed up peanuts into the villain's face.

"Robin, why are we not capturing the Mumbo?" she asked. Robin held her back.

"Let's just see what happens," he whispered.

"Well Titans, I guess this is where I make my getaway," Mumbo said, bumping into the elephant. "Oh!" He stared at the elephant in shocked surprise.

"What are we waiting for?" Cyborg asked. "He's going to get away."

"Just wait a little longer," Robin said. The elephant became very annoyed with Mumbo who was trying to come up with a clever way of going around him. The then elephant reared up and came crashing down on Mumbo and left him in a deep crater.

"Told you he wouldn't get away," Robin said through bursts of laughter. "Let's get Mumbo to the Police guys.

"What are we going to do with the elephant?" Raven said

"Take him back to Haley's Circus, of course," Robin said, the other Titans began walking away while Robin walked up to the elephant. "You're a good boy Sitka, did you know that? You just took down the Amazing Mumbo."

He petted the giant animal's large face and scratched his head. Sitka let out a happy sound and wrapped its trunk around Robin's waist, picking him up. "Yeah, yeah, you're a good boy. I bet you want more peanuts huh?" the animal set him down so he could be fed.

He began leading the elephant back to the Titans. "Come on guys, let's go, we don't have all day!" he said in a much louder voice.

As Starfire turned to go, she thought for a moment she had heard a strange name "Sitka". She wondered if that was the animal's name. And she had to wonder how Robin knew the strange animal, and why it seemed to like him so much.

* * *

**Again, thank you to GuardianSoulBlade for allowing me to continue the story and I hope my story meets expectations.**


	2. Daring Decision

The Titans assisted Robin in escorting the performing elephant back to the circus. Starfire was sitting on the elephants back, Beastboy had taken the shape of a baby elephant and walked in front of Sitka, allowing him to hold his tail and Raven and Cyborg had moved on ahead in the car to let the ringmaster now that Sitka had been calmed and was on his way back. Robin walked right beside the massive animal's head, deep in thought. Starfire watched him curiously; he had known the animal's name and the elephant, Sitka, had seemed very fond of Robin. _"Why is he so sad?"_ She couldn't help wondering.

With his head down, Robin almost walked into the sign that had the circus' name printed in bold red, gold and white letters.

"Thank God!" Robin suddenly heard a man's voice and turned to see Jack Haley, the circus owner rushing towards them in a brightly colored tuxedo and top hat with Cyborg and Raven calmly walking behind him. Once he got to them, he quickly looked over the elephant to make sure all was well. Satisfied with what he saw, he turned to the teen heroes.

"Thank you so very much," Mr. Haley said "Jack Haley, at your service!"

"You welcome Mr. Haley. Cyborg stated. "But the credit really goes to Robin. He went and helped to get Sitka under control and helped us get another villain to the authorities."

Robin looked a bit nervous when the Ringmaster glanced at him. The ringmaster's eyes flickered with recognition, but he quickly saw the fear on Robin's face.

"Uh, well thank you my young friends. I would like you all to attend the circus for as long as we are here!" The ringmaster stated.

"Something wrong Dude-Sir?" Beastboy corrected after Raven hit him across the head.

"No dear boy just occupied. Now, we have much to do if we're to be ready tomorrow, so we can talk in the morning."

"Yeah, we need to make sure that everyone is okay now that the elephant is back where he belongs." Robin said quickly and then walked away.

"What was that all about?" Beastboy asked. The Titans all wondered the same thing, but thought nothing more of it.

* * *

The titans had quickly set about repairing the damage done to the city. Robin had suggested that everyone go back to the tower while he went about in aiding in the _new _safety measures for the circus.

Once they left, Robin walked towards the cages for the animals and allowed his shoulders to drop with the heavy weight that had long been on his mind. It had been eight years since the accident. He and his parents had been among one of the most talented people in the world. But that changed the day Zucco showed up.

He would always remember,

_**The cheers of the crowd as his mother and father went in for the final swing, **_

_**The subtle squeak as the riggings in the trapeze gave,**_

_**The gasp of the crowd as the two acrobats fell towards the earth,**_

_**And the following silence that was almost as dead as the two figures in the center of the ring.**_

Once more, Robin was so caught up that he nearly had a heart attack when he heard a loud hiss to his right. He was greeted by a large white boa with golden spots.

After a moment of hesitation Robin was able to get a good look at the snake.

"Recognize Peaches?"

Robin jumped when he turned and saw Mr. Haly smiling behind him. Robin's eyes immediately softened when he saw the ringmaster.

"She's definitely gotten bigger," Robin said as the circus owner opened the cage so that Robin could get a better look at the serpent; "but was she always this smart?" He joked as the boa rose upward to look him in the face.

"No, I guess not." Mr. Haly laughed. Robin smiled, but did not laugh back.

"Dick," Robin looked panicked at his name, but when he remembered who he was talking to, he calmed down and slowly peeled of his Domino mask, revealing his sapphire blue eyes.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" Robin said as Peaches wound herself around his torso and arms and nestled her head against his neck.

Haly nodded, "We haven't had a trapeze act since you left. Hardly seems like a circus now… He said sadly."

"I think about you guys a lot, I always look on the TV to see where you are." Robin said more to himself than to the circus owner. "I fight almost every day with what my parents taught me, but I never really feel happy until I hear about you guys."

The Ringmaster laid a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Dick calmly placed Peaches' upper body in the cage and she slowly slithered into her enclosure.

The young acrobat and the circus owner walked around the compound until Mr. Haly asked the question that Dick had long been dreading.

"Dick, will you be our acrobat again?"

Dick stiffened; he had a feeling that someone would ask him that.

"Dick, we haven't had an acrobat in years. Lots of people have been asking for it." The owner looked at him with eyes that seemed to be begging.

Robin kept his head down as he thought. On one hand, if Richard Grayson showed up at the circus all of a sudden, it may bring _unwanted attention __**(interpret that anyway you want**_**)**and jeopardize more people than desired. But on the other hand, he had always flipped and somersaulted in the midst o a fight, but it had been quite awhile since he last had a date with a trapeze.

But that moment became something that Robin normally hated, a moment of defeat.

"I'll see when I can get away." The hero sighed. The older man laid one last hand on his shoulder and disappeared into the colors of the circus tent.

As Robin replaced the mask on his face, he walked down the street with a heavy heart. He could not figure out which emotion he felt the most.

The happiness at returning to his first home, or the nagging anticipation that something would be going wrong very soon.

* * *

**Okay, so you have all been so nice even though I was nothing shy of lazy.**

**In my defense however, this is not my story, as such, it was taking a bit longer than expected to find the path I wanted the story to take.**

**I will work harder to give the story more potential though**

**I Promise**

**Sky the White Dragon**


	3. Miranda

After that night, Robin found it very hard to think. He no longer played games with Beastboy and Cyborg, Raven could sense an underlying distress, but could never pinpoint it and Starfire often noticed a slightly occupied look in their leader's eyes. (Not that they could see them or ever had)

He sat down on the couch in the main room, simply staring out the window at the city. The circus tent could be seen and the first act was later that day.

"Friend Robin?" Starfire asked. She received no response.

"Yo, Rob?" Cyborg asked impatiently. Robin was either completely ignoring them or he was so intent on his thought, he was virtually deaf to them.

But he certainly wasn't blind, as he recoiled when a bouncy, green puppy jumped into his lap and up into his face.

"Wha-"He stammered as the dog sat in his lap looking up at him, as were the rest of the team.

"Sorry…" He mumbled and tossed the puppy, yelping into a cushion on the couch. He began to get up and walk away. Starfire stopped him.

"Robin, something is not right. You have been avoiding us since we returned the elephant to the circus. Is it not a time to be happy?"

She wanted to make sure he was fine. After he came back to the tower, he hardly responded to any of them. It simply was incomprehensible.

"Guys, I'm just-"He was cut off when a siren wailed through the room.

"Plasmus is going on a rampage through downtown, not far from." Beastboy alerted them.

"Titans, move out!" Robin commanded.

Raven, Beastboy and Cyborg left immediately, but Starfire stayed behind.

"Robin. This conversation is not yet over." She told him with determination.

"I know Star." He said in submission.

* * *

"GRUUUUUUUUUUUUUGH" The large pink blob roared as a bright blue sonic blast carved a hole into its body.

"You guys never learn, do ya?" Cyborg taunted.

"Hyah, Hyah!" Starfire yelled as she launched her starbolts at Plasmus while a green pterodactyl continuously tore into it from the sky. He groaned in pain and moved towards the fairgrounds, right where the animals were being housed. He began devouring flags, signs and equipment wherever he went, frightening the workers away.

Raven projected a shadow of front of the slimy creature to detour him, and she did. Right towards a pair of Circus bears!

The two grizzlies stood up and roared in defiance at the blob. Suddenly, Robin hurled a red and yellow bomb at him from behind.

The thing exploded inside the monster, but it suddenly began tearing at the cage housing the bears. The animals stayed away, but they seemed eager to get some exercise and cause more trouble.

Robin then tossed a freeze bomb at Plasmus and the living goo finally turned into a sleeping human being. The nearby officers carried him away.

"Jeez, I thought that would take forever!" Beastboy yelled. It was true, they been chasing Plasmus for a while.

"Rob, can we PLEASE take a break now?" Beastboy begged, turning into an adorable kitten.

Robin smirked. "Fine," Beastboy pumped his fists in the air in victory. "You guys can go ahead and look around, I'm gonna get these two to the trainers and head back home." He turned towards the bears, who were already exploiting they're freedom and wandering around.

"Oh, but Robin," Starfire pleaded,"Will you not join us?"

"Sorry Star, circuses just aren't my thing."

"You'd think they were with that costume…" Raven said sarcastically.

Robin simply ignored her and sent the Titans further into the fairgrounds.

He walked into an unused tent, whistled and hid. As he expected the bears walked into the tent to see what he was doing. Robin closed the flap.

He turned to the grizzly bears, one was brown and had a black nose, while the other was black and had a pink one. They were sniffing at the ground until his approach stole they're attention.

"Hi Polly, Hi Dolly." He greeted the bears. "Remember me?

The one with the pink nose, whom was Dolly, placed her large paws underneath his arms, exposing her pink paw pads.

As she rose to her full height, she picked him up; sniffing his face and neck, as did Polly. Robin simply closed his eyes, and hoped that they remembered.

Polly suddenly stroked his face with her wet, rough tongue and Dolly gave him a large hug, burying him in her thick, soft fur.

"Okay girls, Okay" Robin laughed as he was put down. He pressed some buttons on his belt and was gifted a civilian outfit.

* * *

The tent had been entered by Robin, the boy wonder; but he wasn't the one who exited. Instead, out came a young boy with inky black hair, a black shirt with matching pants and handsome blue eyes. He was followed by a pair of bears who fell into step behind him.

Dick shifted in his outfit, had it really been so long that he wasn't comfortable in a regular shirt and pants?

He pulled at his collar and looked at the bears behind him. Polly and Dolly had known him for three years before he left them behind. At 11, they were relatively young, but he was still surprised they remembered him.

His thoughts were interrupted when a sudden force knocked him off his feet. He looked and saw a young girl in green on her on her side with her back turned.

"Oh, sorry 'bout that." He said as he helped the girl to her feet. But he suddenly stopped.

The girl had long black hair and there was a whip curled at her waist. As she looked at him, her brown eyes flashed with recognition.

"Dick?" She asked.

"Miranda?" He responded.

She did not respond, but simply pulled him into a large hug, which he gladly returned.

As they stood up, Dick could see the intricate designs on her circus costume; Miranda Kane always had a sense of style, even though she was often getting down and dirty as the circus' animal trainer.

"It's been a while…" He trailed off, unsure of what to say.

"You bet it has!" She yelled with enthusiasm. "What are you doing here?"

Dick smiled; Miranda had always been straight to the point.

"You guys were in town, and I had to stop by." He responded.

She pulled him to his feet and saw the bears behind him.

"What are you two doing out here?" She asked as she patted the bears on the nose.

"Uhhhhh…"Dick stuttered.

He could explain, but not here.

"So, how's hero life?"She whispered playfully, laughing at his shocked expression.

* * *

**I know it's been a while, but I promise you I'm trying!**

**The chapters are getting a little slow, but they'll get better.**

**For now, look at the poll on my profile and help me decide what story to juggle along with this one. It will be open for a while.**

**Also, if each titan had a circus act, what would it be? I'm dying for some output.**

**"In the next chapter, we get to see if this bird still knows how to fly.**


End file.
